The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 44, No. 1 - 12

R . Jason Lynch

College resident assistants (RAs) working at
U.S. colleges and universities have played a
vital role in student support, safety, and development for decades (Aamodt, Keller, Crawford, & Kombrough, 1981; Reingle, Thombs,
Osborn, Saffian, & Oltersdorf, 2010). The
RA position can be very challenging but can
also be a rewarding leadership experience on
campus (Owens, 2011). Students in this role
are frequently charged with a number of administrative responsibilities, the development
of their residential communities, and service
as crisis first-responders, peer counselors, and
disciplinarians. These tasks make the choice to
become an RA a serious commitment (Aamodt
et al., 1981; Conlogue, 1993; Owens, 2011).
Given the scope of RA duties, leaders in residential living have invested considerable resources in maximizing the effectiveness of RA
staffs and their impact on residential students
(Grosz, 2008; Thombs, Reingle Gonzalez,
Osborn, Rossheim, & Suzuki, 2015). Unfortunately, current literature reflects a limited understanding of the impact that the job has on
students serving as RAs.
Within the last decade, the number of students who have reported experiencing various
psychological traumas has greatly increased
(American College Health Association, 2016;
Center for Collegiate Mental Health, 2016),
which puts additional strain on already underresourced campus counseling centers. Campus-based traumas vary in nature, but some of
the most frequent include loss of loved ones,
anxiety, depression, psychosis, and sexual
violence (Silverman & Glick, 2010). Suicide
remains a leading cause of death on college
and university campuses (Suicide Prevention Resource Center, 2014). Although staff

and administrators are ultimately responsible
for the protocols meant to support students
experiencing trauma, college resident assistants not only bear the burden of being firstresponders, but also the responsibility of living
in the same building as the trauma victim and
others impacted in their residential communities. Current research in other helping professions such as social work, counseling, and K-12
education has indicated that repeated exposure
to those experiencing trauma can have deleterious effects on those who provide help and
support (Baird & Kracen, 2006; Bride, Robinson, Yegidis, & Figley, 2004; Hydon, 2015).
This negative impact on the mental health of
caregivers is known as secondary traumatic
stress (Figley, 1999). To date, student affairs
scholars have yet to extensively study this phenomenon. This study aimed to address the gap
in the literature by investigating this phenomenon within college resident assistants through
development of the Secondary Trauma in Resident Assistants Scale (STRAS). This scale was
intended to explore four symptoms of secondary traumatic stress as identified in the 5th
edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
of Mental Disorders (DSM-V): negative alteration of mood and cognition, arousal and reactivity, avoidance, and intrusive thoughts.
Specifically, this study explored the following research questions. To what extent are the
instrument and its subscales internally consistent? To what extent do the instrument and its
subscales correlate with measures of related
and unrelated variables? To what extent do
individual items of the instrument represent
the factors of intrusive thoughts, avoidance,
negative alterations of mood or cognition, and
arousal and reactivity?

T h e J o u r n a l o f C o l l e g e a n d U n i v e r s i t y St u d e n t H o u s i n g

The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 44, No. 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 44, No. 1